The Legend of Taotie Episode 14 Recap
> The Legend of Taotie Recap
Recently, Zhu Chengbi had been reading *The Tale of Mei Sheng’s Encounter with Immortals* with Chang Qing and came across a story about a divine dragon. According to the legend, the divine dragon that lived on the cliff was a romantic and gluttonous creature, never refusing any delicious food or drink. This reminded Zhu Chengbi of her encounter with the dragon many years ago. At that time, the dragon had mentioned a particular pastry called *“Heaven and Earth in Spring.
”* Hearing about the incredible taste of this pastry, Zhu Chengbi became curious. The dragon had lamented that the ingredients required for the pastry were exceedingly rare and that even with the recipe, one would still need to find the specific components to make it. That evening, Zhu Chengbi returned to her bed to rest after chatting for hours. Seeing that she hadn’t taken off her shoes, Chang Qing carefully covered her with a blanket and removed her boots.
He carried out these tasks with great care, yet Zhu Chengbi’s mind remained preoccupied with thoughts of Lianxin. In her dreams, she often saw Lianxin making pastries for her. Those dreamlike glimpses of his face brought her happiness, but upon waking, she was overcome with sadness, longing for her old companion. Many sleepless nights, she would rise from her bed, gaze at the Lianxin Pagoda in the distance, and sigh, lamenting the five hundred years that had passed.
She wondered how Lianxin was doing now. Zhu Chengbi fell deeper into her memories. Five hundred years ago, during her conversation with the divine dragon, she had encountered a man about to take his own life. This man, burdened by poverty and despair, had lost all joy in living and planned to jump off the cliff. At that moment, the divine dragon appeared and shared his story.
The dragon revealed that his love for food had led to punishment by the Heavenly Emperor, who confined him to a small mountain stream, unable to move. To regain his freedom, the dragon needed a soul willing to be freely sacrificed. The despairing scholar volunteered his soul for the trade, but the dragon ultimately found this solution unsatisfactory. Instead, the dragon encouraged the scholar, Mei Sheng, to create *“Heaven and Earth in Spring”* as a token of gratitude and hope.
Mei Sheng then spent the next five hundred years wandering, no longer contemplating death. Knowing that someone in the world cared about him gave his life meaning. During those years, Mei Sheng devoted himself to searching for the ingredients to make the pastry, discovering purpose and joy in the process. Meanwhile, Zhao Heng had arrived at the imperial palace after much effort. He presented his father, the emperor, with a delicacy called *“Pearl in the Palm.
”* However, upon smelling it, the emperor found it unappealing, angrily flipped the table, and ordered Zhao Heng to eat it himself. Unable to disobey, Zhao Heng complied, yet no adverse effects occurred. Even so, the emperor showed no concern for Zhao Heng’s intentions. Instead, he blamed him for the ongoing disaster and had him thrown into prison. Elsewhere, Ji Wenzhen had heard rumors that townsfolk were flocking to buy *qing tuan* from a young boy.
Enraged, she went to investigate and discovered a constant stream of customers buying the pastries. Ji Wenzhen recognized the boy as her junior disciple and demanded that he hand over the *Red Plum Umbrella* and the *Xunfang Manual*. However, the boy, knowing that their master had expelled Ji Wenzhen from the sect, refused to give her the master’s relics.
While imprisoned, Zhao Heng explained to the princess that the reason he had given the emperor the delicacy was because a fortune-teller had predicted misfortune for the emperor that year. Zhao Heng had hoped to help his father avert disaster, but now that he was in chains, he feared he could do nothing to aid the emperor. Hearing this, the princess was deeply moved and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to attend to the emperor.
There, she encountered an assassin, but thanks to her vigilance, the emperor remained unharmed. The princess relayed Zhao Heng’s warning to the emperor, turning the situation in their favor and securing his pardon. Zhao Heng was released from prison and deeply grateful for the princess’s actions. However, when the princess lovingly placed her hand on his sleeve, Zhao Heng hesitated and chose to leave.
On the way back to Wuxia, Zhao Heng couldn’t help but ask his men if anyone had learned how to resolve the local disaster. One confidant mentioned a celestial text that recorded a method: they needed the *Xunfang Manual* to make *“Heaven and Earth in Spring,”* the divine dragon’s favorite pastry. If successful, it would bring favorable weather and end the drought. Worried about the dire situation, Zhao Heng became determined to do everything he could to pursue this solution.
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